April 11, 2015 was a red (fire truck) letter day at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. In the fall of 2014, Silver Dollar City announced the reworking of their kiddie section and naming it “Fireman’s Landing”. The focus of the new area was to honor and pay tribute to firefighters everywhere. The 10 new attractions would each tell the story of the value and accomplishments of firefighters who serve communities all over the world. Of particular note was the encouragement for individuals to volunteer and serve.

On April 11 at the park’s opening, firefighters from all over Missouri gathered with family, friends and park visitors in the square. Fire Fighters’ Association of Missouri was the lead organization in the ceremonies which would follow. The gathered crowd was entertained by the outstanding Pinto Pride Marching Band from California, Missouri. Brad Thomas, CEO of Silver Dollar City and Lisa Rau, Director of Public Relations joined representatives of FFAM for the beginning of the festivities. Chief Kenny Hoover, President of FFAM led the invocation and other noted persons were introduced. Continue Reading →

Hello again form the east side of the state. All I can say for the ones that didn’t attend the 61st Firefighter Association of Missouri Convention is you missed a good one. Thank you to the Lake Area Emergency Service Association for a very fine job. Talking about a fine job, thank you to each and every one that participated with the contest. The ladies axillary, I thank you for the fine job and a very difficult job too, with 77 entries to pick the top three for each grade. I wish we could make everyone a winner.

I want to thank some new districts that entered the contest and I’m challenging each district and department to enter a poster. We had 8 this year enter the contest. This year the winners will be asked to attend the Missouri State Fair as a guest of the Missouri State Fair Volunteer Fire Department. Each winner with get into the fair grounds and receive a pass for the mile long midway and the prize money. Continue Reading →

FFAM President Kenny Hoover (Right) meets with Mr. Loren Biggers (Left) who is a retired contractor in Mexico, Missouri. Mr. Biggers handmade and donated this beautiful all walnut locking gun case that will be raffled along with the donated Henry Golden Boy Firefighter Edition Rifle. All proceeds going to the construction of the Firefighter Museum at Kingdom City.

Hello from Commissioner #4 of the Missouri State Fair Fire Department. Well we just completed a very good convention at the lake and I trust every one had as good a time as I did. We had a very good start on the sales of the raffle tickets for the Henry Rifle that was donated to the FFAM for a fund raiser for the Museum/ Education Facility in Kingdom City.

There will be several people in the state that will have tickets to purchase and the gun will travel to numerous events so be patient we will have it close to you for viewing. Watch for the flyer in the newsletter and if you have any suggestions of where we should show the gun to help sales please get a hold of me to get it there. If you need tickets to sell please contact me for that also. We did wind up with around 100 applications for the fair so we will get busy and get those processed for the June meeting and start sending letters.

Thanks to all who made the grand opening of Fireman’s Landing at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, such a fantastic event. I have heard nothing but positive comments about the event and the way we were treated and entertained by the staff of Silver Dollar City. They really went all out to accommodate the FFAM and other guests. How about the cruise on the Branson Belle? My wife and I enjoyed it so much, we went back the next week. What a fantastic weekend. Thanks to all who participated. Thanks, Charlie, for all you did!

I just got word that the museum project has been approved for another 2 years by the Missouri State Employees Charitable Campaign. If you know of folks who work for the state, let them know they can participate and designate our project to receive funds. Continue Reading →

In my last newsletter article, I started with the Dexter Fire Department and the leadership of that fine organization to highlight individuals who have provided outstanding service to their community and the State of Missouri.

I know of no better way of extending that trend than to shine the spotlight on a dear friend that has spent his entire life in the service of his fellow man. His dedication to the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri is illustrated by the number of times he has worked at the State Fair Fire Department and had appeared on convention programs as a keynote speaker at banquets and other functions of our state association. Continue Reading →

Hello, everyone, as many of you know or if you don’t, I am a member of the Missouri EMS Funeral Assistance Team. We are a team of individuals that go all over the state to provide assistance to agencies that might have an EMT, paramedic, RT, nurse or pilot that is killed in the line of duty.

The Missouri Emergency Medical Services Line of Duty Death Funeral Response Team is a trained and dedicated corps of EMS volunteers that will respond to your department when requested. We are first responders, EMT’s and paramedics that work and volunteer right here in Missouri. Our goal is that every EMS/pre-hospital provider that pays the ultimate price receives the honors they deserve during the funeral process. Continue Reading →

Hello to all from the east side of the state can you believe how the time and days are going by. The convention has come and gone and I thank you for a great convention.

Congratulations to all the fire prevention poster contest winners. A great job to all the winners of the contest, and to the best in the state: Firefighter of the Year, Fire Department and Fire Chief of the Year. Congratulations to all.

With time going by so fast I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the Union Fire Protection District’s 125 year celebration in July. Mark your calendar. Continue Reading →